Brits turn their backs on Spain for Turkey

British holidaymakers are beginning to take the bulk of their holidays outside of Spain after new research discovered that Turkey is now the most visited holiday destination by travelling Brits.

Spain for the last 40 years has been the destination of choice for a larger percentage of British tourists, but according to Co-op Travel, Turkey has seen over one third more visitors in 2008 compared to last year.

And the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has stated that 15 per cent more tourists have holidayed in Turkey in the first five months of this year compared to 2007 figures.

One of the main reasons for this increase is due to a rise in the amount of affordable property in Turkey, according to Julian Walker, managing director of specialist Turkish property agent Spot Blue.

He said: "Countries that are less likely to be considered now because of the gulf between the buying power of the weak pound against the mighty euro are Spain, France and Cyprus - traditionally hugely popular overseas holiday destinations.

"The cost of living in Turkey is low compared to the UK and this is very attractive to British families hard hit by the credit crunch."